Australian Government Criticized for Removing Alcohol Tax Reform from Agenda

Australia’s federal government has been criticized for taking alcohol tax reform off the agenda despite community concern about the impact of alcohol-fueled violence. The AAP reports that the Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Foundation said the decision to overlook the Henry review’s recommendation for tax reform ignored the enormous social and economic cost posed by alcohol abuse. Foundation...

Mass. Senator Jailed After Failing Alcohol Test

A Massachusetts senator who blamed failed alcohol tests on his toothpaste was sentenced Monday to a year in jail for violating his probation in a hit-and-run accident and faces possible expulsion from the state Senate. The Associated Press reports that Cambridge Democrat Anthony Galluccio pleaded guilty last month to leaving the scene of an accident that caused minor injuries to a father and his 13-year-old son. As...

Postural Sway Due to Alcoholism Can Improve with Prolonged Sobriety

Excessive sway during quiet standing is a common and significant consequence of chronic alcoholism, even after prolonged sobriety, and can lead to fall-related injury and even death. Science Daily reports that a new study of residual postural instability in alcohol-abstinent men and women shows that alcoholics improve with prolonged sobriety, but the improvement may not fully erase the problem of instability....

Fruit Flies Behave Like Humans With Regard to Alcohol Consumption

When given the chance to consume alcohol at will, fruit flies behave in ways that look a lot like human alcoholism, according to a study published online on December 10th in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication. Science Daily reports that this study is one of the first to consider alcohol self-administration in the insects. "The flies choose to consume alcohol to intoxicating levels, they will do so even...

Some People Can Cut Down on Drinking Before it Becomes Problematic

When Bill Wilson declared his powerlessness over alcohol in his 1939 book called “Alcoholics Anonymous” (known among AA members as “The Big Book”), he contended that he had to “hit bottom” as an alcoholic before changing his life, and that sobriety could only be achieved through complete abstinence. Seventy years later, top addiction experts are no longer sure that this is true...